Card holder



40 having depending side arms 4 suspended between the brackets, and a supporting plate pivoted Patented Oct. 24, 1933 CARD HOLDER Wallace L. Spruill, Inglewood, Calif.

Application July 16, 1931, Serial No. 551,101 Renewed June 1, 1933 5 Claims. (CI. 40-10) This invention is a card holder particularly adapted for mounting on the instrument board of an automobile so as to conveniently display information contained on the card, and is especially applicable to police patrol automobiles where it is desirable that data relative to stolen automobiles and other crimes may be displayed to the driver without necessitating use of his hands or otherwise distracting him from his duties.

It is an object of the invention to provide a holder adapted for ready reversal so as to make visible a card mounted on either side of the device and thereby display the maximum data in minimum space.

It is a further object of the invention to illuminate the card which is on display so that it may be read at night, and to conveniently turnon the source of light, preferably by shifting the card holder so as to display either of its opposite sides, and as readily extinguish the light by shifting the card holder to a neutral position, thereby providing for normal non-illumination of the device but assuring illumination and visibility whenever the card holder is turned to either of its operative positions displaying the data on either of its cards.

Further objects of the invention will be readily understood from the following description of the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the card holder.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail section on the line 3-'-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the card holder reversed for displaying a card mounted on its opposite side.

The card holder may be mounted on any suitable support, herein indicated as the instrument board E of an automobile, and may comprise transversely spaced brackets 1 fixed to the instrument board by usual bolts 2, with a frame 3 between the side arms so that by reversing the supporting plate either of its opposite faces may be conveniently displayed.

The frame 3 carrying the depending side arms 4 is preferably pivotally supported between brackets 1 so that by swinging the frame the support ing plate 5 may be positioned where it is most conveniently seen; and for this purpose studs 6 which project from the respective ends of frame 3 may be journaled in brackets 1, and may be releasably held in rotatably adjusted position by nuts '7, threaded onto the studs for binding engagement against the brackets and readily manually actuated by providing the nuts with usual knurled heads.

The frame 3 preferably supports an illuminant for the supporting plate 5, shown as a usual electric lamp 8 mounted in a casing 9 which projects forwardly from the frame 3 medially of its width,

with the casing forming a usual shade above the lamp for directing the rays of light downwardly onto plate 5 as shown in Fig. 2.

'The pivotal mounting for supporting plate 5,

whereby it may be turned so as to display either of its opposite faces, preferably comprises trunnions 10 projecting laterally from the ends of the supporting plate medially of .its width, with the trunnions journaled in the lower ends of side arms l and adapted to be manually rotated, as for example by fixing knurled heads 11 on the projecting ends of the trunnions. The supporting plate 5 is of a width whereby it may be swung on its pivotal mountings so as to just clear frame 3 for positioning the supporting plate so as to upper'end of the supporting plate alines with the lower edge of frame 3, it being noted that with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 3 wherein the face A of supporting plate 5 is displayed, the stop 12 prevents further swinging movement of the supporting plate in one direction so that it must be swung in the reverse direction of arrow B for reversing the supporting plate so as to display its opposite face C, and when the face C is displayed as shown in Fig. 4 the strip 12 stops further swinging movement of the plate surface so that it must be swung in the reverse direction of arrow D in order to again display its face A.

The opposite faces AC of the supporting plate are thus adapted for convenient selective display of data carried thereby; and the desired information is preferably containedon cards 17 which are adapted for detachable mounting on the respective faces of the supporting plate, as forexample by providing overhanging retaining lips When the supporting plate is in either of its operative positions alining with frame 3 and displaying either of its faces A-C, the lamp 8 is preferably illuminated so that the displayed in- 18 at the side edges of the respective faces. 

